Zabach, 20, Wins State Amateur

June 20, 2014|By SEAN BEGIN, Special to The Courant, The Hartford Courant

NORTH STONINGTON — In a matchup of first-time finalists, Zach Zabach defeated Kevin Josephson 1-up over 36 holes to claim the 112th Connecticut Amateur Championship Friday at Lake of Isles.

"We had a lot of fun out there," said Zabach, 20, of TPC River Highlands, who battled sinus problems as well as his opponents. "I think I have a sinus infection. I've been playing with it all week, but it doesn't really matter at this point."

For most of the morning, when both shot 2-under 70, and into the afternoon, Zabach and Josephson were even or within a stroke of each other.

"Certainly in the morning, everything was kind of working for both of us," said Josephson, 24, of the Country Club of Farmington.

But as the pair began to make the turn for the final nine holes, Zabach began to separate himself.

An errant second shot by Josephson on the ninth hole and a bad lie on 11 that forced Josephson to concede the hole put Zabach 3-up with seven to play.

But Josephson stayed aggressive and came right back on the 12th and 13th to pull to within a hole again, thanks to a long second shot that put him squarely on the 12th green and an errant tee shot on 13 from Zabach.

"It was going a little back and forth," Josephson said. "It was getting to the point where I needed to be aggressive. He made a couple of mistakes, so I just stayed steady and took advantage of those holes."

But Zabach managed to hold off Josephson from there to secure the victory.

"I just told myself, 'Stick to your game plan, that's what got you here,'" said Zabach, who plays for UConn. "I tried to stay aggressive, though looking back I probably should have been a little more conservative on a few holes. But it all worked out in the end."

Zabach said that putting kept him close in the morning round, either winning or tying several holes, and that keeping it simple in the afternoon allowed him to finish well.

For Josephson, the afternoon proved to be a combination of little mistakes that kept him from finding any consistency.

"In the afternoon, I missed a lot more fairways … my ball striking was a little off, and I left a lot of putts short," he said. "Just a little combination of everything. I certainly don't feel like I lost. He certainly won. It was a great week."